It's All in the Past
by eukaryote
Summary: This was originally a oneshot written two years ago told from Satine's point of view during Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's time on Mandalore. Now it is a collection of writings about Satine and Obi-Wan goodness.
1. Chapter 1

**I have a bad feeling about this...**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Star Wars.**

**In some ways I feel really good about this... and in others not so much. I admit it was really difficult to write Qui-Gon (but I just had to include him) and I sort of have a negative view of the Jedi Order and even *gasp* Yoda himself, which is evident in the beginning. But I really did enjoy writing this :)**

**I love reviews! **

* * *

_Anakin: You and Satine have a history._

_Obi-Wan: An extended mission when I was younger.... Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore, protecting the Duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world. They sent bounty hunters after us. We were always on the run. Living hand-to-mouth. Never sure what the next day would bring._

_Anakin: Sounds romantic._

**_The Clone Wars, Voyage of Temptation_.**

* * *

The Republic had gone too far. Not that they hadn't already gone too far, but now it was really hitting home.

Word had reached the Council of Neutral Systems that the Republic was now taking an interest in Mandalore. It was only a faint whisper at first, but it was soon confirmed that the Republic was launching an investigation. The Council was outraged, but no one was as angry as the Council's leader, Duchess Satine Kryze.

Satine had received a hologram from Yoda himself, stating that a Jedi would be arriving on Mandalore in two days at noon to investigate a rumor that Mandalore was building an army for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Even though his sentences were unorthodox, he said this clearly as a statement, not a request.

Satine narrowed her eyes. "I do not appreciate being treated as if I have to answer to the Republic, Master Yoda. I am not encroaching into your affairs, you are. If the Republic insists that Mandalore is a threat and wants to investigate this ridiculous claim, very well, but you will do so on the time that is convenient to me."

If Yoda was angered by her frankness, he did not show it. Satine was not surprised however. There is no emotion.... "Understandable, this is, Duchess. Convenient for you, what time is?"

Satine invented a day and time, even though the original proposed day would have been fine. "And what Jedi should I be expecting?" she added offhandedly.

"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Satine searched Yoda's face for a moment for some emotion somewhere, but found none. Of course. "Very well."

Yoda had probably given the assignment to Obi-Wan because he remembered that Obi-Wan and his former master Qui-Gon spent a year on Mandalore protecting her from rebels threatening to destroy her dream of a peaceful Mandalorian society. Or maybe it was just the galaxy playing a joke on her.

Either way, she would be seeing Obi-Wan for the first time in many years.

She was only sixteen years old when she had been elected. Mandalore elected their leaders at a young age, and they stayed in office for thirty-five years. Since the elections only occurred two or three times in the average Mandalorian's lifetime, the elections were a gigantic event. And sometimes, things got downright violent. When Satine won the election over her two main competitors, all hell broke loose. She was the first elected official to advocate peace instead of warrior ways. With her in charge, Mandalore was going to change, and her radical non-supporters knew it. So, they set about the only way to solve the situation they could think of: assassinate her.

And then two Jedi Knights came to her aid in the name of peace. Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was only a year older than her.

Watching the speeders fly by outside of her window, Satine was lost in memory and thought.

* * *

"Am I even doing the right thing?" her sixteen-year-old self had asked aloud one night. Normally, she seemed so sure about herself, but not this night. "My people are dying, and they're dying because of me. This planet is in worse condition than it was when I was elected!"

"Sometimes peace is met with violence at first, but it's important to stand strong," a sullen seventeen-year-old Obi-Wan answered in the darkness.

* * *

Her two protectors had intrigued her. They were like no other people she had met before. They were always speaking with an air of deliberateness, and they were always calm. Even when they were in danger, they both stared down the possibility of death, unwavering. They were always getting funny feelings, which mostly turned out to be correct. And they were both very quiet and tranquil. Obi-Wan in particular could stare ahead of him at the scenery for hours at a time without moving an inch.

Even though Obi-Wan was clearly the student, he seemed to not have much to learn, at least not to Satine. He was mature and as calm as his master was. However, he was always asking Qui-Gon questions, and he always did whatever he was told.

* * *

"How did you decide you wanted to be a Jedi?"

A small smile flickered over Obi-Wan's face. "I did not ever make that decision, Duchess. One cannot simply go up to the Jedi Temple and apply for a master. Jedi are selected just months after birth and raised in the Temple after they turn two or three. One can always quit, but very few do."

"Oh?" She looked at him quizzically. "And how is it decided who qualifies to be a Jedi and who doesn't?"

"Midi-chlorian counts by taking blood. Only those with a very high count can be a Jedi."

* * *

"I think that -" Satine stopped short. The only thing that could be heard was the patter of rain on the leaky roof. They had taken shelter in an abandoned shack. Qui-Gon was off looking for something - of which now Satine could not remember. And Obi-Wan was asleep on the floor.

He could not be very comfortable curled up on the hard dirt floor, but he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She wished she could throw some kind of blanket over him, but they had nothing except the clothes on their backs.

There was something mesmerizing about him as he slept. As Satine noted the features and details on his face, she realized that he really was quite attractive. She looked away and tried to push that thought out of her head.

She was not even sure if the Jedi were allowed to have relationships. Their "Code" they went by seemed to be rather strict.

* * *

Satine cursed and fell onto the rocky ground, scraping her knees and palms.

"Satine!" Obi-Wan shouted, the wind muffling his voice. He crouched down next to her. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she shouted back, trying to stand and run again. But she couldn't. She looked at her left ankle. It was twisted at the joint, painful, and already swollen. She cursed again.

"Obi-Wan, get her out of here!" Qui-Gon shouted, swinging his green lightsaber about.

Obi-Wan scooped her up and began to carry her away to safety as quickly as he could, much to her protest. "Put me down, I can run myself!" she demanded. He ignored her.

Then he slipped himself, dropping her. Thankfully, she landed on her right hip rather than her left foot. But it still left an awful scrape on the skin near her hip bone, and she gritted her teeth as blood began to ooze out.

"Satine, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Obi-Wan was blushing and apologizing profusely now as he picked her up off the rocky ground again. "I'll go slower this time - it won't happen again, I'm sorry."

"Do you think Qui-Gon will be all right?" she asked once Obi-Wan put her down on the grass, now safely away from danger.

"Yes. He'll be fine." She wasn't sure how he could be so confident, but she believed he was sure. "The only one who's in danger right now is you. That's why I have got to stay here."

"I'm fine," she snapped. "Go help your master."

"I can't do that.... He would be most displeased with me for leaving you unprotected." He didn't let it show that he wanted nothing more than to help his master, but Satine still knew this was exactly what he was thinking.

She squared her jaw in irritation. "You didn't have to carry me out you know. And I didn't tell you that you could take off my shoe," she added as he gingerly pulled her left shoe off.

"You've broken your ankle terribly, and maybe some other parts of your foot. It's already swollen twice its normal size."

"Well, I would say your head is twice the normal size too," she grumbled.

"Very funny." He then sighed. "This complicates things. You need medical attention if this is going to heal properly."

They then sat in silence for a long while as Satine's foot throbbed unpleasantly and continued to swell. Her hip also continued to sting. As if he could feel her discomfort, he looked at her regrettably.

"I'm sorry," he said yet again. "I was never good at Healing."

"I'm all right," she mumbled.

Once Qui-Gon joined the party, he immediately examined her foot, which was now turning a lovely shade of purple. "Your foot is broken," he announced. "You need medical attention. This complicates things."

"So I've heard," she sighed, trying to not roll her eyes. "If you both just give me a moment, I think I can get up -"

"Don't be silly, Duchess," Qui-Gon said. "No one could walk on that."

Obi-Wan picked her up off the ground. "We need to find somewhere you can be healed," Qui-Gon continued. "Padawan, do you have any feelings of which direction we should go?"

"I sense we should go that way, Master," Obi-Wan said, giving his head a jerk to the right of him.

"I sense it too," Qui-Gon agreed.

And with that, they set off. During their search for help, Satine's irritation eventually faded. She looked up at Obi-Wan, and the gray-blue eyes looked down at her. She gave him a small smile and then rested her head against his arm and closed her eyes, feeling her heart thumping.

* * *

"Obi-Wan, can I ask you a question?"

He looked at her in slight alarm, but nodded anyway.

"What is the Code?"

"Oh. Well, it's a five line mantra that states the basic founding beliefs of the Jedi Order."

"What does it say?"

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force." Obi-Wan began breaking a twig into smaller pieces. "It's what gives us our rules and expectations for all Jedi."

Satine was silent for a while. "No passion, no emotion?"

"No passion, no emotion," Obi-Wan echoed, still breaking the twig. "Of course, no one can be emotionless, but it's important that we remain level-headed and not be carried away by our feelings."

"But some emotions are good," Satine argued. "Passion can be too. So long as passion does not become obsession."

Obi-Wan shrugged slightly. "I suppose, sometimes. But for the most part, it only clouds one's judgement."

"Well, what about love? Isn't that supposed to be the greatest of all emotions?"

"Love is attachment," Obi-Wan answered softly, not looking at her. "Attachment is forbidden. Nothing and no one is permanent. The moment you become attached to someone is the moment you condemn yourself to misery and suffering."

Satine said nothing for a while again. Then, "How many times have you rehearsed that, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"How many times have you rehearsed what you just said. You sound like you're repeating a passage from a textbook."

Obi-Wan didn't answer at first. The conversation no longer seemed as mechanical. "Well, Jedi Masters repeat themselves a lot when they're speaking to their Padawans, I guess. It rubs off."

"Sounds like brainwashing to me."

"It's not," Obi-Wan said firmly. It seemed she had just struck a nerve. "It's just... very important to remember."

* * *

"You cannot possibly be serious."

Satine turned toward Obi-Wan. "I am serious. You cannot possibly think I would ever say something I don't mean to say."

"But these are the people who were trying to kill you just last month! These are the people who are killing those in your government!"

"I am perfectly aware of who they are, Kenobi," Satine snapped. "What I'm not aware of is why you are questioning my judgment."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth furiously, but Qui-Gon cut over him. "We are not here to dictate how the Duchess decides to run her planet, Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said curtly as a reflex.

"However, I must also express my concerns about this matter, Satine. I do not think this is a good idea. The people you are planning on speaking with are nothing short of terrorists. I have a hard time believing they have had a change in heart. However, we will protect and support you regardless, of course."

"Terrorists or not, they have requested a peaceful meeting with me. They have asked for forgiveness. I cannot turn a deaf ear on their pleas."

"How do you know they won't blow the building up as soon as they are in the same room as you?" Obi-Wan shot at her. "How do you know they won't just shoot you?"

"I don't know. But if this situation can be solved peaceably, then that is what will happen. I will never support killing in the name of peace."

"Do you really think you and the terrorists will be able to shake hands and become good friends?" Obi-Wan asked furiously. "And let me tell you, if you think that -"

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said firmly. He glared at his padawan.

Obi-Wan glared back for a moment. Then he turned toward her and gave a little bow. "Forgive me, Duchess," he said softly. And with that, he turned and walked out the room without looking back.

* * *

Snow was falling lightly outside. Satine shivered as she stood in front of the window. The abandoned house they were in was not very warm. This planet was far too cold.

"Are you all right?"

Satine closed her eyes. Obi-Wan was always asking her that question. "Yes, I'm fine. A bit cold, but fine otherwise."

Obi-Wan walked over next to her a the window. "You shouldn't stand at the window."

Satine smiled weakly. "Because a bounty hunter might materialize out of nowhere, recognize me, and shoot or capture me?"

"Something like that, yes."

"I am not afraid of dying."

"I know you aren't. But you can't help people if you're dead. And I would rather prefer you be alive." He put a hand on her shoulder to try to steer her away.

She turned and looked into the gray-blue eyes she had come to know so well. Before she knew what she was doing, she pulled him into an embrace. He put his arms around her as well. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. They stayed that way for a long time. When they finally broke apart, Obi-Wan kissed her before she could register what he was about to do.

* * *

In... and out. In... and out. Satine was trying to slow her breathing and calm herself. The Jedi made being calm look far too easy....

Obi-Wan's breathing was deep and slow, unlike her shallow breaths. It was in a perfect rhythm, whereas hers was somewhat erratic.

The dead of night was the hardest time for Satine. The silence and stillness made her feel slightly claustrophobic. During the day time, during the struggle to survive, Satine was able to push her worries aside. But at night time, when there was nothing to distract her, she felt trapped inside her own skull.

Obi-Wan began to rub his hand against her shoulder. Distracted, she raised her head from his chest slightly to look at him. His breathing had been so steady that she thought he was sound asleep.

"You're letting worry get the better of you," he whispered, his eyes still closed. "Just relax. Dawn will be here before you know it. I've got you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Satine lied as she put her head back down against him.

He continued to run his hand over her back for a long while. She had to admit to herself that it was soothing. It was times like these Satine felt a thousand words were being passed between them despite their complete silence.

* * *

"Oh, just shut up, Obi," Satine yawned.

Qui-Gon looked over at his apprentice. "'Obi?'" he said slightly incredulously.

"She calls me that sometimes..."

* * *

Satine stood in shock. Obi-Wan was panting heavily, absolutely furious, his lightsaber still illuminating the night with blue. He kicked the blaster away from the dead bounty hunters hand. He was quaking in anger. He fumbled trying to get his comlink out. "Master. I've found them. Bounty hunter's dead. We're on the east side of the lake."

Silence. Satine did not know what to say.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked. He looked at her with absolute concern.

"I - yes." She stammered. He came over and pulled her close, muttering something about being sorry. Anger seemed to leap into her, and she pushed him away roughly. "Why the hell did you just do that?" she demanded.

He looked at her incredulously. "He was shooting at me! And he had you, he was going to take you to the damn leaders of the rebellion against you so they could do Force only knows what kind of awful death -"

"You didn't need to kill him!"

Qui-Gon came running toward them. Obi-Wan did not acknowledge him. Instead, he was glaring at Satine as if he was ready to tear his short hair out in frustration if he could have. "You - cannot - I can't believe - !" he stuttered.

"What happened here."

Obi-Wan looked over at his master. Instantly mollified, he looked down at the ground and swallowed hard. "I saved Duchess Satine, Master," he said, kicking at the soil.

"You murdered him."

Obi-Wan looked at her, his rage returning. "He was threatening to kill you and he was trying to kill me!" he shrieked. "What else could I have done? Let him shoot you?"

"Obi-Wan, I would expect a lot more self-control from you." Qui-Gon was speaking softly, but sternly. He had a gift for speaking quietly and making people pay undivided attention so they didn't miss a word of what he was saying. "You and I will talk about this later. But for no, there's no good in standing fighting over something that is already done. This bounty hunter probably has friends - friends we do not want to have to meet. For everyone's safety, we need to move on."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said meekly to the ground. Satine could not stop staring at him. Perhaps their Code is there for a reason after all.

* * *

"Everything will be all right now.... Your people will be safe. Mandalore has an excellent leader."

She looked at him with an expressionless gaze. "Yes, I sincerely hope so." An outsider would think they were strangers. "I cannot begin to thank you for your help, both of you." Her eyes flickered over to Qui-Gon, but went back to Obi-Wan's face almost instantly. "Every one of my people are forever in your debt."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed their heads. Obi-Wan looked at her one last time, as if in apology. She figured her expression looked the same. And then they both turned their backs. She would most likely never see either one again.

Satine stood still, staring in the direction their ship disappeared. She stood like that for a long time. And then she turned around. Being the Duchess of Mandalore meant there was no time to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I know this was originally a oneshot that I wrote... well, two years ago, but I decided to add this to it. This is almost entirely from the Clone Wars TV show, with some dialogue added by me and, of course, all the descriptions and whatnot. This scene is, in my opinion, the best scene in all of the Clone Wars. To me, there was more going on in this scene than first meets the eye. Seeing as I have no life, I have overanalyzed it countless times, and here we are. **

**I revisited this because of the rumors about Satine in the fifth season of the Clone Wars... if you don't know what the rumors are, I won't tell you... But I can tell you if it happens, I will probably be adding a third chapter to this.**

**Enjoy, kids.**

* * *

After waking up with her muscles aching, she decided yesterday's events really had happened. Unfortunately. A damn shame. Which meant today was the day she was off to Coruscant to convince the entire Republic Senate that the Death Watch was not a serious threat to them, that she could handle the terrorists herself, and that she was not secretly involved with the Separatists. She was concerned out of her wits and as anxious had she had ever been in her life because she knew how quickly this all could spiral out of control. To top it off, Obi-Wan Kenobi was escorting her, who had turned his back on her when she was seventeen and he never looked back. But she couldn't let any of this show.

She had to be... _perfect_. There was no room for error.

"Duchess, have you eaten anything?" Tal Merrik asked her as they set off for the spaceport. He apparently noticed she had skipped breakfast. Why people paid attention to such things was beyond her.

"I have no appetite."

"I don't mean to step out of bounds, but you still should eat something."

She grew tired of people acting like she was constantly on the verge of breaking apart, like she was made of fine china. As if she couldn't function if she skipped a meal now and then...

Merrik did not speak again until they were about to board the _Coronet_. "Excuse me, Duchess, I was thinking about Governor Pre Vizsla. How are you going to explain that whole... situation... to the Republic Senate?"

"Well, Merrik," Satine said dismissively, "I am going to go stand in one of those pods in the Senate and when Chancellor Palpatine asks me to speak I will speak." In truth, she didn't want to answer because she didn't know the answer herself, but that was nobody's business right now.

"But if Pre Vizsla fled we have no way of knowing how widespread Death Watch really is," he continued to press, seemingly implying the Senate would come to that same conclusion.

"It's obvious the Separatists are supporting the Death Watch," Obi-Wan said from behind her. It was the first time he had spoken all morning.

Satine halted. "I disagree," she said turning to him. "I told you, I want to stay _out_ of this conflict."

"Given the current situation..." Obi-Wan said carefully, "I'm afraid that may no longer be... possible."

_The least he could do is support me on this; it would cost him nothing to do so._ "I thought _you_ of all people would _understand_ my position on this matter. I will _never_ be a part of this war." She glared at him before giving him the firmest turn she could muster and walked toward the _Coronet's_ ramp, fuming. Another Jedi was walking toward them, but she didn't give him a second look, too lost in her own thoughts.

Satine was used to everyone being against her. In fact, she could safely say she was more acquainted with people being against her than she was used to people supporting her. Yet for some reason, which she refused to acknowledge right now, it bothered her immensely that Obi-Wan disagreed with her on something this important.

The _Coronet_ droids immediately began serving out alcoholic beverages once everyone was aboard. _Thank the Force_.

"This is all absolutely outrageous," she was saying to the other senators. She wanted to talk her thoughts out with someone, anyone, who would listen. This was a fact that no one seemed to understand. She wanted to practice arguing to strengthen her resolve. There had to be someone aboard this ship that would argue with her effectively. "This is an obvious attempt for the Senate to interfere in Mandalore's affairs. The Republic wants all the support it can receive, even if that means they will force themselves onto neutral systems."

"Yes, your grace."

"I agree, Duchess."

"Everything will work out, you are very capable, my lady."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. She turned her head and spotted a clone by the doors.

"You there, soldier," she said, "where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"He'll be here in a minute, your highness," the clone replied. Satine heard him talking into his comlink.

She turned back to the others. "Exactly how far will the Republic Senate go? How dare they force their will on innocent people?"

"You are an excellent leader, Duchess. Matters will pull through."

"I agree."

Satine gave up on them. She knew Obi-Wan would argue with her. He was exceptionally good at that. He could argue with her like no else could. And he was a hell of a lot better at it than Merrik was anyway.

She remembered the first time Obi-Wan had argued with her. Qui-Gon was speaking with her about peace.

"Only when the first person lowers their weapon can peace begin," she had said.

"Well, that wouldn't work with the Sith."

Satine had thought she imagined it at first. Obi-Wan was always quiet and agreeable. When she had seen Qui-Gon's frown, however, she realized Obi-Wan really had just argued with her...

"War is intolerable," she said to the other senators, who all looked like they were rather enjoying themselves. "We have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it. I say the moment we committed to fighting... we already lost."

"Excuse me, your grace," Merrik said as he took another martini for himself, "are you suggesting we oppose the war on humanitarian grounds?"

"I'm going to oppose it as an affront to life itself... As the designated regent of fifteen hundred systems, I speak for thousands of worlds who have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war." _In other words, you can't screw up, Satine._

"And yet some might argue that the strongest defense is a swift and decisive offense." Obi-Wan walked calmly into the room with the younger mystery Jedi following him.

She blinked softly, suddenly lost for words. She felt foolish now for calling him in. What the hell had she been thinking?

He gave her a friendly smile and a small bow.

She recovered. "You are quite the general now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?"

"Forgive me for interrupting, your highness. I meant no disrespect."

"Really?" she said mildly, as if she didn't quite believe him. "Senators, I presume you are all acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Your highness is too kind," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

Sorrow suddenly struck her. "You're right - I am." She looked away from him. Her voice had betrayed her and the emotion came through.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, the younger Jedi raise an eyebrow and look at Obi-Wan.

As if Obi-Wan could sense the other Jedi's confusion (and Satine didn't doubt he might have), he said, "Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi, Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin Skywalker. Of course. The phrase "Kenobi and Skywalker" was becoming a single word on HoloNet. She did rather detest HoloNet and all its war talk, but it was good to watch from time to time in order to keep tabs on the Republic's propaganda.

Skywalker moved forward and bowed respectfully. "Your servant, my lady."

She gave him a contemplative look and took a drink for herself, her fighting mood returning. She would test out the famous Anakin Skywalker's debate skills. "I remember a time when Jedi were not generals, but peacekeepers."

"We are protectors, your highness," Skywalker answered placidly. Interestingly enough, he did not have that same deliberateness to his voice like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had always had. "Yours, at the moment. We fight for peace."

She laughed a humorless laugh. "What an amusing contradiction."

Obi-Wan couldn't keep quiet. "What Master Skywalker means is that we are acting at the behest of your highness. To protect you from the Death Watch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view."

"I asked for no such thing," she reminded him sharply, leaving Skywalker to fade into the background.

"That may be so." He took another step toward her. "But the majority of your court _did_."

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses," she said distastefully.

He did not shy away from the accusation, staring her right in the eye. "I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities."

Orn Free Taa apparently wanted to keep the conversation from getting too heated. "I am certain we all agree," he said, stepping in between Satine and Obi-Wan, "Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have proven there are two sides to every dilemma."

"Indeed," Merrik said.

"Now," Taa continued, "in regard to the Senate, we think -"

"I think a multitude makes discord, not good council," Satine cut over him. She didn't want the debate between her and Obi-Wan to end.

"Right again, my lady," Taa said, obviously humoring her, as always.

"There may be two sides to every dilemma," she heard Obi-Wan saying to Skywalker. Apparently she had sparked some annoyance in him that made him want to continue the debate as well. "The Duchess only favors hers."

She decided she was going to let that one slide... Oh, who was she kidding. He had said it loud enough for her to hear on purpose. "Rather like you only favor yours, Obi-Wan?"

Skywalker took a drink for himself also. He was watching Obi-Wan and Satine casually with an amused look on his face as if he was at a pool party rather than on a serious assignment.

"That's different, Duchess," Obi-Wan said, his irascibility visually increasing. "My view is the realistic one. I know I am wrong about some matters, but I know I am right about this one."

"Really?" she said skeptically, swishing about her drink in its glass so much so that it threatened to spill.

Everyone else in the room was becoming very uncomfortable now. Except for Skywalker.

"Really. A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists."

She put her drink aside and stood up now. "Even extremists can be reasoned with." She knew she was right about this. Now if she could just convince Obi-Wan, perhaps she could convince the rest of the Republic as well. Why couldn't he see she was right? She walked down the steps.

Obi-Wan stepped closer to her as well. "Perhaps," he began in a respectful tone. Then his voice became harshly sarcastic, "If one could be heard over the clanging of their _battle droids_!"

She continued to walk toward him, unwilling to back down. It was like playing chicken with a stranger going in the opposite direction on a sidewalk. Who would move first before they ran into each other?

"Hah, the sarcasm of a soldier!" she said spitefully, glaring him down, drawing even closer.

"The delusion of a dreamer!" he said in the same tone she had used. He took one last step until their faces were less than ten inches away from each other's. She stared him down and he stared her down right back.

"Duchess. Master Jedi," Tal Merrik said in a ringing voice. "It's been a _long_ trip. I think we could all use a little rest and refreshment."

"Hear, hear," Orn Free Taa boomed. "Now, let us put politics aside until _after_ dinner."

Satine still had not backed down or looked away from Obi-Wan's face, and neither had he. She thought for a second she saw something stir from behind his eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him, her mask of anger faltering. He still didn't look away. He brought his eyebrows further together, as if he was trying to convince her he was furious, but that strange spark in his eyes still remained, which told her he wasn't truly angry.

_Why doesn't he look away?_

"_Fine_!" both Satine and Obi-Wan snapped in unison at Orn Free Taa's suggestion. She pushed him roughly aside and Skywalker wisely stepped out of her way as she walked out of the room, seething.

She sat at the dining table alone. She knew she wouldn't be alone for long. Soon, the other senators and servants and droids would enter, because nobody could leave fragile Satine Kryze alone for long - she was in too much danger for that. She snorted in disgust. All she wanted was to be alone right now. She wanted to sit quietly and think. She didn't want to fight anymore.

However, she knew she could not do that. Being a leader meant you had to put up with all the bullshit politicians created for themselves. She had to sit up tall and make small talk with the other politicians during dinner. She was supposed to be generally well-mannered also, but she wasn't, especially now.

She put a hand on her forehead. She had a massive headache, which really was her fault in the first place, because she hadn't eaten anything all day. She felt her fingers quaking, yet another sign of weakness. She was so ashamed of herself now. She was acting like a childish brat - picking fights with Obi-Wan, who was only there to help her - Obi-Wan, who both she and all of her people owe for helping to give Mandalore a peaceful society - making all the other senators uncomfortable... _Stupid, Satine, stupid._

Deep down, Satine knew it wasn't the Republic that had caused her to pick a fight with Obi-Wan. She wasn't angry at the Republic. She was angry at Obi-Wan for leaving her behind all those years ago.

How very weak of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**I really have no idea what I'm doing with this story, I just keep writing stuff. **

**I don't know about you guys, but when I was watching the Mandalore arc, I was waiting for this scene to happen and I was disappointed it never did. So here it is. Satine is questioned by the Jedi Council. I don't know if it's all that great or not.**

**Oh, and I have not extensively studied Mandalorian history, so if I make any mistakes anywhere, I am truly sorry.**

* * *

Both Obi-Wan and Anakin gave a very clear report on the mission from everything that happened the moment Obi-Wan stepped foot on Mandalore to Satine's arrival on Coruscant. Well, mostly everything, Obi-Wan left out some personal dialogue without skipping a beat and Anakin took mercy on him and did not divulge anything that he had overheard. When Obi-Wan admitted his lightsaber was taken away from him by two Death Watch members, Anakin stirred and Obi-Wan knew what he was dying to say, but he didn't.

The Council all considered this information for a long time.

"When is the Duchess scheduled to appear in the Senate?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked softly.

"Fifteen past eight tomorrow," Obi-Wan answered a bit too quickly, revealing was fully planning on attending. "It was postponed. Emergency session took up the original time."

More silence.

Yoda ran a hand over his head, which Obi-Wan typically took as always meant he was disappointed. "Hear news such as this, we did not want."

"But how certain can we be that Death Watch is not receiving support from the Separatists?" Plo Koon asked.

"The Separatists will support anything that can be a threat to us," Mace Windu said. "If they are not already, they probably will soon."

Silence. Obi-Wan could feel that Anakin's mind was very far away.

"We need to talk to the Duchess," Mace said, bringing his arms back down on the armrests. "We don't know if we can trust her. Everyone here feels the large role deception has played and continues to play in this war. This might be an act. She might really be behind them."

"Oh no, trust me, she's not -"

"She could be under the thumb of the Sith for all we know, Obi-Wan," Mace cut across him. "We simply do not know. I propose we have a meeting with her. Question her. Try to see where her loyalties lie. If she really is against the Death Watch, and she really does not know anything further about it, then the Jedi can stand behind her and let her conduct her planet as she sees best until matters get too out of hand. If not, I favor occupation."

"She will never agree -"

"If she does not want to speak with us, we can let her know we will do our best to make sure the Republic occupies Mandalore," Adi Gallia added. "Even if there is truly very little we can do to change the Senate's vote, we do not have to tell her that."

"Contact the Duchess, I will," Yoda said.

"No, really," Obi-Wan was saying, "this isn't necessary."

"Disagree with you, I do," Yoda said, peering at Obi-Wan. "Outvoted, you have been."

As soon as Obi-Wan and Anakin exited and rounded the corner, Anakin began to laugh.

"The Jedi Council is going to question Satine," he said, clapping Obi-Wan on the back. "Who do you think will be victorious?"

"I am not amused," Obi-Wan replied dryly.

"Yeah, okay. You'll have to tell me all about this. If you can, record it somehow. This will probably be the most exciting Council session in - well, since time began. I should already be on the Jedi Council by now, how many times have I said that?"

* * *

"And what if I do not agree to be questioned by your Council?" Satine asked, her eyes narrowed.

"See to it that the Republic does put a military base on Mandalore, the Jedi Order will."

"So you are threatening me?"

"Simply being truthful, we are."

"You know, there was a time I admired the Jedi."

"Sorry to hear you still do not, I am. Expecting you at 13:00, we will be."

Satine cut the transmission and sat down. Did she really have a choice? No, she didn't.

* * *

She had heard the Jedi Temple described perhaps a thousand times by Obi-Wan, but it somehow still did not resemble what she had pictured.

A boy, who was perhaps nine years old, saw her walking around almost aimlessly as she looked at her surroundings. She knew where to go, but she was captivated by this Temple that she had heard so much about but had never seen.

"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you find a location in the Temple?" The boy had an expressionless gaze and spoke in a very mature manner.

"No thank you, I know where I am going," Satine said to the boy. "And where are you off to yourself?"

"Oh, I am going to go meditate, ma'am."

"And after that?"

"Then I have homework to finish."

"And after that?"

The boy looked confused. "I imagine that, if I do have spare time, I will meditate some more before going to bed. I suspect I will not though. I always do a very thorough job on my assignments."

"Right," Satine mumbled. "Of course. Have a good day, then."

"You as well, ma'am."

She walked toward the Council chamber once again, wondering what Obi-Wan was like at nine. He must have been just like that boy, living for meditation and studies and lightsaber practice.

At the Council door, she saw Anakin Skywalker coming toward her and she thought this was an odd coincidence she would run into him, the only Jedi she knows apart from Obi-Wan.

"Hello, Duchess," Anakin said with a grin on his face. "Just know, I am rooting for you."

"Right," she said again, mesmerized at how different Anakin was from that nine-year-old boy. He was like a normal person. "Thank you. What exactly should I be expecting?"

"Well, when I first spoke to them they told me they could read my mind and that fear leads to the Dark Side, so something along those lines. Oh, and their idea of questioning will probably consist of mostly silence as they try to pry into very soul."

"General Skywalker, can I ask you something? Why do you seem so different from the other Jedi?"

"I was brought here when I was nine," he replied, that grin returning to his face. "Obi-Wan and everyone else have been trained to be robots since they were two or three. They play a recording of the Jedi Code over and over again in the nursery with the toddlers."

"Really?"

"Well no, I made that up, but if they heard that idea, they probably would."

Satine considered this for a moment. "Interesting. Well, I had best get this over with."

"Of course," Anakin said darkly. He then gave her one last grin and walked away.

It turns out Anakin had been walking in front of the Council doors back in forth for fifteen minutes, waiting for her to appear. Satine would never know this.

As she entered the Council chamber, she was greeted by twelve beings of all sorts of species. They all looked up at her, their eyes piercing, their faces impassive, their bodies still.

"Welcome, Duchess," Yoda said.

Satine just narrowed her eyes and tried to give him the same piercing look. Her eyes then flickered over to Obi-Wan and back to Yoda again.

Everyone was silent for a very long time.

"Well?" Satine said in a ringing voice. "What is this list of questions you all have been formulating all day? I was going to use this unexpected extra time to prepare for my speech to your Senate. If you have nothing to say, I would be happy to leave."

_Calm down_, a voice inside her head said. _You are in _their_ Temple_.

Mace Windu, whom Satine had seen and heard of on HoloNet glanced at Yoda and then back to her again. "You knew Governor Pre Vizsla well, Duchess?"

"I knew him."

"Well."

She did not contradict him or move an inch.

"It must have been a surprise to you. One minute he's your fellow Mandalorian colleague, and then he's wielding about a black lightsaber that was stolen from this very Temple during the fall of the Old Republic - a blade that has killed many Jedi over hundreds of years."

Satine's eyes shot back at Obi-Wan. "Of course it was a surprise. I am not your enemy. Why would I be? The Jedi came to me in the name of peace when I most needed aid. I shall never forget that."

There was silence agin. She could barely stand it.

"Nervous, you are."

"What?" Satine snapped.

"You heard Master Yoda just fine, Duchess," Windu said, bringing the tips of his fingers together. "We all can feel that you're hiding something. There's something you do not want us to know about. You feel exposed."

"Is this what you call questioning? Putting words in my mouth and emotions in my mind?"

Silence. It was unnerving. Her eyes flickered in Obi-Wan's direction again.

"See through you, we can."

_It's no wonder Obi-Wan is so mental_. "All right then, tell me, what are my deepest darkest secrets that I am hiding from you all? Do you think I own a black-bladed stolen lightsaber myself and that I spar with our ex-Governor Pre Vizsla on regular occasion? Do you think I have a Death Watch poster on my bedroom wall that I idolize every night?"

Plo Koon, whom Satine did not know, briefly looked at Obi-Wan and then back to her.

_Why do they all keep doing that? How much do they know?_

"Duchess, do you know why the Jedi are so concerned about Death Watch?" Plo Koon was asking her.

"The Mandalorians fought in many wars, often against the Jedi." She quoted Obi-Wan without really meaning to. "Do you really think I do not know the history of my own people? Death Watch has nothing to do with the Separatists, so I do not know why this has caused so much concern amongst yourselves."

"I think it unlikely someone as clever as yourself would not know about such an obvious movement that is happening within your own system," Windu stated flatly.

"I never said I did not know anything concerning it," she said firmly. "I just did not foresee the problem to be on such a scale."

"So you knew that the Death Watch was organizing to fight against the Jedi and you still did nothing to notify us?"

"That is not what I said and that is not what they are organizing for. They want to overthrow me, not you. And _I_ can and _will_ handle the matter."

More silence.

"When did you first come to know about Death Watch?"

"The Death Watch has been around for a while, cropping up here in there across the years. But I only heard of them recently, a little less than a year ago," she replied, thinking back. "I received a threatening message. A hooded man told me that the Death Watch was preparing to overthrow me and Mandalore would once again return to its warrior ways and that my people would be grateful to see me dead. I did not recognize his voice and I could not see his face, no matter how we altered the recording. Then the Death Watch sign was displayed at the end. Gradually, the Death Watch began bombing and vandalizing. It was nothing too serious, only four deaths had resulted from their attacks before Obi-Wan arrived. There has never been any mention about fighting the Jedi or the Separatists - only me."

"Any way to transmit this message to us, is there?" Yoda asked respectfully.

"Yes," she answered. "It will not be an issue to submit it to you."

Windu opened his mouth, but Satine had questions of her own. "Why are you so threatened by the Death Watch? They cannot be worse than the Separatist generals."

"We have a very ancient and powerful enemy," Windu said evasively after a brief pause, "that has... reemerged and tied itself to the Separatists. We do not want them pairing up with the Death Watch as well. Our enemy is a serious threat for all Jedi and the galaxy at large."

Satine was dumbstruck. She stared at Windu with her mouth slightly open. "You're telling me the Sith have come back? The _Sith_ are with the _Separatists_?"

Silence rang through the room and she instantly knew she had just surprised them. Satine saw Obi-Wan fall half an inch deeper into his chair, which told her she was most assuredly not supposed to know anything about the Sith whatsoever. But she did not care. Her mind was reeling.

"You think... the Sith are going to form an alliance with Death Watch? That's why you all are fighting in this war! It has nothing to do with the Separatists and the Republic... you all are fighting the _Sith_, not the Separatists... And if the Separatists win... the Sith win?"

Windu glared at Obi-Wan, who was beginning to get color in his face, undoubtedly because he had received perhaps a dozen looks from several people in this room in the span of seven or eight minutes.

"Does that mean you want to join us in the fight?" Obi-Wan asked her quietly, still low in his seat, as if he felt he had to speak with so many people looking at him.

Satine stared at him. The Sith... She swallowed and then said, "No."

Obi-Wan looked at the floor. Both she and he knew her saying "no" without giving a lengthy argument why was the closest she would ever come to saying "yes" to fighting.

"Tell us, Satine," Windu said calmly, "how did you come to know about the Sith?"

"You know damn well how I came to know about the Sith," Satine said coolly. "Obi-Wan Kenobi was on an assignment with me for a year. What do you think we did in all the spare time we had?"

This question did not settle in the room well. Obi-Wan's face turned a definite pink as he sank deeper into his chair and then she felt color rising in her face as well when she realized where everyone's mind had just drifted. They knew something about Obi-Wan's history with her, more than she wanted.

"We talked, of course," she added awkwardly.

_They can practically read your mind. Stop it._

"Why doesn't the general public know what this war really concerns?" she said added quickly, as the thought had just occurred to her. "They do not know what will happen if the Sith overtake the galaxy. The Separatists do not know, the Republic does not know. Only you, the Jedi Order knows. How could you keep such a secret?" Her eyes shot back at Obi-Wan involuntarily.

"I am guessing," Windu said, ignoring her question, "that Obi-Wan did not tell you about the Sith in Qui-Gon's presence."

"Of course he did. They both told me." She knew the moment she said it that they all knew it was a lie.

"You know that Qui-Gon was killed by a Sith?" Windu said, tapping a finger against an armrest.

Her mouth opened slightly again.

"Yes," he continued gravely. "Yes. Years ago now, when Obi-Wan was still a padawan." He looked at her, eyes narrowed. "They truly are a threat. Can you see now why we do not want them getting any additional power and assistance, no matter how small it might seem?"

She swallowed again. "I... had no idea. None at all."

Windu looked annoyed as could be. "Duchess, you may go. Thank you."

She blinked at him, not expecting such a quick dismissal that told her nothing about their decision. She looked over at Obi-Wan and she saw him give her a shadow of a wink. She knew then that the Council would not push for occupation of Mandalore. She also knew she was supposed to bow before exiting the room, but she didn't.

* * *

**Also, I would like to thank everyone for the lovely reviews. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**My raping of Satine and Obi-Wan continues...**

* * *

When Obi-Wan first laid eyes on her, he didn't immediately realize that this was Duchess Satine Kryze. She didn't look like a leader. She was a teenager, maybe a bit younger than himself, and she was as grimy as everyone else around her in the middle of the woods. She had her hair tied back and dark circles under her eyes. She was small and looked as frail as a sick bird.

Then her blue eyes pierced them and she spoke in a voice that clearly said _I'm in charge_.

The first time Satine saw Obi-Wan, she overlooked him quickly and rested her eyes on Qui-Gon. She had seen pictures and drawings of Jedi before and the word Jedi immediately crossed her mind.

"You are Jedi?" she asked, sounding more surprised than she meant to. She was _supposed_ to sound like she had almost been planning to see them, she knew that.

They both bowed.

"Yes, we are," Qui-Gon said. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"What is it that you want?" she asked, her eyes still scanning them.

"We want to help you, Duchess."

"Why?"

"I am sure you know the history between the Jedi and the Mandalorians."

She did not nod or answer.

"The Jedi keep watch over what is happening on Mandalore. We have for centuries. There is a committee, who reside on Coruscant in our Temple, that has followed your speeches since before you were elected. They ruled that it would be beneficial both to us and the galaxy at large if you won this civil war and Mandalore adopted your model."

Satine considered this for a moment. "And how long would you stay?"

"The committee ruled they thought it would take six or seven months before you regained control, but we can remain as long as three years. We are prepared to stay for a good amount of time."

Obi-Wan turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Then he walked off in that general direction with absolutely no explanation whatsoever. Qui-Gon briefly looked that way, but then he looked back at her and did not explain Obi-Wan's actions either.

She knew she had to weigh her options quickly. That's what leaders did.

"Fine," she replied, "but just know, you both are responsible for your own safety. I won't have anyone risking their lives for you."

"That won't be an issue," Qui-Gon said, sounding amused.

She looked off where Obi-Wan had disappeared. "Where did your... friend go?"

"Padawan. He went to go look for something he sensed."

Satine could make neither heads nor tails of this, but she pretended she understood. "And when will he be back?"

"Not long. He did not go far. I think he's already on his way. What are your immediate offensive plans?"

"We want to take the Capitol first."

"That isn't practical," Qui-Gon replied simply. "The Capitol is at the heart of the problem."

Satine heard the cracking of twigs and she looked in the direction of the noise. A man was coming toward her, his hands raised, and behind him was Obi-Wan, his lightsaber ignited, pointing it toward the man's back.

Satine had never seen an ignited lightsaber before. She had only seen them in pictures. It was blue and surprisingly solid. It also emitted a humming noise, which she had not expected.

"What do you want to do with prisoners?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice sounding completely impassive, as if he had just done something as unremarkable as making toast.

"Turn that thing off," she swiftly demanded.

The blue blade disappeared and the humming stopped.

"Who are you?" she asked the man in the same commanding voice.

The man spat and said, "I do not answer to you."

"Well," Obi-Wan began, "I guess that means -"

But Satine turned her back and whispered something to a nearby Mandalorian. After the prisoner was led away, she turned back to Obi-Wan.

"Don't use that lightsaber unless absolutely necessary. I'm surmising you didn't even try to talk to him before igniting it, did you?"

Obi-Wan just blinked at her.

"It'd be better if you didn't carry those things around with you, but I know you Jedi all do."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked, looking completely perplexed.

"Because people who bring weapons with them everywhere do not want peace. Do you really think you can have a peaceful discussion with someone if you both come to the table with blasters and lightsabers? No, you would have already made your choice to approach everyone as potential enemy."

Right now, Obi-Wan did not argue with her. But the next time she would make a statement like that, months later, she would say, "Someone who brings weapons to a negotiation does not want peace," Obi-Wan would snarl, "Maybe they just don't want to be killed!" He's silent, for now.

* * *

"Obi-Wan, I need to talk to you for a moment."

Both Obi-Wan and Satine looked up at Qui-Gon, who was standing in the doorway. They were sitting crisscrossed on the floor, facing each other, a card game splayed out in between them.

"Of course, Master," Obi-Wan replied. He stood and walked out of the room.

Satine burned with the desire to try to eavesdrop on them, but she resisted and began to practice her shuffling skills as she waited for today's report with a mixture of nervousness and hope.

When Qui-Gon turned and faced Obi-Wan in the small room which they were in, Obi-Wan instantly knew this was serious. He didn't have to be a Jedi in order to sense it.

"I am only going to say this to you once," Qui-Gon said quietly, with one hand raised. "I have absolutely no desire to have this conversation with you, but it's my duty as your master. I plan to tell you this _only once_. You understand this?"

Obi-Wan could only nod, wide-eyed.

"If you want to leave the Jedi Order, that's fine. I would have no problem with it. The Jedi do not hold any prisoners. Now, you need to make a choice. You can either end it all and stay with the Jedi Order... or you can resign as soon as this mission is over and stay with Satine."

Obi-Wan's face paled. "I... I don't know what you're talking about, Master."

"Yes, you do, Obi-Wan. Do you think I'm blind? There's no shame in it, so you might as well drop the act. Don't take advantage of her. She's sixteen years old. She doesn't know anything, and neither do you at seventeen, which is why I'm telling you this."

"She was just elected Duchess of all of Mandalore," Obi-Wan argued, desperately trying to steer this conversion in any way possible away from where it was now.

"And she's still sixteen and still doesn't know anything. If you plan to leave the Jedi Order in order to stay with her, do it. If you plan to stay with the Jedi Order, end it. Don't be selfish."

Obi-Wan's face was as redder than ever. "I'm not - she's not expecting -"

"Do not fool yourself. Of course she's expecting you to -"

Satine came bursting through the doorway, having completely forgotten that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were having a private word, and for a moment, Obi-Wan thought she had been eavesdropping, but then she positively shouted, "Do you know - do either of you know, have you the faintest idea how many of my people - innocent civilians - have been killed today?"

Satine took no notice of the fact that Obi-Wan's face was as red as autumn leaves, a holoprojector swinging about in her hands. She waited for them to give their guesses.

"No, Duchess," Qui-Gon said, sounding mildly interested. "Do tell us the statistic."

"Three hundred and twenty-two. _Three hundred and twenty-two_?" She shouted, waving the holoprojector so violently around Obi-Wan thought it might slip from her fingers and go flying across the room. "That is absolutely outrageous - never has there been such a bloody day - and what are we going to do about it?"

"Well," Qui-Gon said, "we advised it would be foolish to try to take the Capitol so soon."

"_You advised_!" Satine shrieked, her voice rising so quickly soon only bats would be able to hear her. "You said that three months ago!"

"Well," Qui-Gon said again, "matters have been going slower than expected. Not much has changed in three months, has it? We need to keep the Capitol for last."

Satine glared between them, her face pale and stricken. "It's bad enough to have the Capitol belong in the wrong hands. What will it look like when we retreat from it?"

"Warfare is a battle of wins and losses," Obi-Wan mumbled. "Sometimes you win a battle, sometimes you lose, but that doesn't mean you've lost the war."

"Right," she murmured, more to herself than to them. "Right." She turned and walked out of the room as quickly as she had entered, frantically pressing buttons and muttering to herself.

Qui-Gon turned to look back at Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan did not meet his gaze and fled from the room just short of running.

* * *

For the next couple weeks, Obi-Wan completely ignored Satine. He acted as if they were complete strangers and he never smiled.

_That's just fine_, Satine thought to herself over and over again. _That's just fine. I really couldn't care less. To hell with him. Men are pigs, even if they are Jedi._ But in truth, she was very hurt, more so than she liked to admit. But she knew, under no circumstances whatsoever, could she let this show. She had more important things to do. Her life had been mapped out clearly before Obi-Wan arrived, and it would continue in that direction, with or without him.

Obi-Wan was, in turn, completely hurt by her seemingly absolute indifference toward the fact that he was not continuing their relationship - or whatever it had been.

For two weeks, each struggled to be the more indifferent one of the two.

Eventually Obi-Wan cracked, almost three weeks in to their icy silence. When Qui-Gon left to take watch and Obi-Wan returned, he sat next to Satine, who was sitting by the fireplace, reading over something.

She bristled when he sat beside her, but did not move over or stand up altogether.

"Satine, the reason I've been ignoring you is because of what Qui-Gon said to me," he told her quickly, as if he expected her to stand up before he could complete his sentence.

She looked sideways at him and was silent for a moment. "Hm. I guess I should have made that connection, but I didn't. That you talked just before you went all strange... It's fine, Obi-Wan, let's just forget it."

"No, I don't want to forget it. Look, he knows."

"Well, I think you damned Jedi should stop sticking your noses where they don't belong. What's it matter to him? Is he worried you'll fall in love, or should I say, become - Force forbid it - _attached_?"

"Actually, he's worried about you, not me."

That made her put down the reports she was reading. "What?"

"He said that... what he said was... You'll be expecting me to leave the Jedi Order, if I'm..." he didn't know how to finish.

She felt a very uncomfortable stab of hurt. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes, determined to not let her true emotions come through. "I don't expect you to leave the Jedi Order to be with me. Do you think I'd leave Mandalore to be with you?"

It was Obi-Wan's turn to feel hurt. "No."

"But that doesn't mean we can't..." This time it was she who did not know how to finish. She knew other women would end it with "have a bit of fun," but she would never say something as slutty and idiotic as that, so she opted for silence instead.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really. Never had I thought we would be together forever, until the end of time. I'm not a dreamer, Obi-Wan. I'm a doer."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the fire and listening to the wood crackle.

"Why did you think I started ignoring you?" he finally asked.

Satine let in a great sniff and then rather matter-of-factly said, "I thought it had all been a game - that you had been planning all along to get me in bed that one time and then dump me."

Obi-Wan laughed nervously and sounded nothing like himself. They had never discussed this before "it" happened or after it happened and he was now intensely embarrassed. _It_ had just _happened_. "Well," he began, in a voice that did not sound like his own, "that can't happen again and it was extremely stupid and I wasn't thinking and I don't think you were either and I'm supposed to have more self-control than that and it's not like we can just tell Qui-Gon and everyone else we're going to go to a local discount store to get - get -"

"Are you kidding me?" she said, highly amused by his rambling and stumbling. "You think I'd honestly sleep with you despite the risk of getting pregnant? You might be charming, but you're not that irresistible." She seemed thoroughly pleased in insulting him.

"Why can't you...?" he said in his normal voice.

"I'm not going to tell you," she said in a somewhat lofty voice.

"No, you're going to tell me." It was not a demand. He just sounded intrigued.

She sighed and said, "It's really none of your business, but fine. My sister didn't start getting a period until she was almost eighteen, and I guess we are a lot alike. I don't turn seventeen for several months so I might have a way to go. Supposedly it was the same case with our mother. It made my sister quite hysterical actually, because she thought she might never be able to have kids. She wanted to start taking pills so she would start getting them, but the doctors kept telling her to wait until she was eighteen; they kept saying, 'Wait, let's see what happens...'"

"Oh." Obi-Wan tried to remember back to his glorious days of sex ed, and he was pretty sure they always said, 'the only sure way to not get pregnant is abstinence,' but he did not argue with her.

"Yes, I know, it's hysterical. Here I am the elected leader of Mandalore and -"

"I didn't say it was hysterical."

"Does this mean things are back to normal?" she asked after a pause.

"I guess so... so long as you're not a dreamer, then."

"Great. Well then, this has been a thoroughly awkward exchange - I thank you."

But when Obi-Wan was saying his final goodbye several months later, which really hadn't been a personal goodbye at all, he could tell she had still been a dreamer despite her claim that she wouldn't be. When he called her a dreamer nearly twenty years later in the company of many others, it was a barb in a senseless argument that only the two of them would understand.

* * *

**Don't you guys kid yourselves... ****we all know they did the dirty****. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, if you haven't seen the latest arc of The Clone Wars, I don't know what the hell you're waiting for. If you're a casually viewer, and you only watch The Clone Wars some of the time, I would DEFINITELY suggest you watch this 4 part arc (Rival is Part 1, which was split in order to make it the season's debut episode). It is like... like so good you can't even imagine. I am sure I will view the arc 2385293857 times. **

**SPOILER ALET **

**...**

**...**

**This story contains major Satine spoilers from Saturday's episode. If you haven't viewed the episodes yet, WATCH THEM NAOW.**

**Anyway, this episode made me want to cry like a little girl (Satine's death) and squeal like a pig (Sidious takes Maul and Savage's asses to school).**

**Of course, this chapter can never capture the epicness that is The Lawless episode, but... Enjoy!**

**BTW I am exhausted and on antibiotics, so if I make any mistakes, I am sorry.**

* * *

"Well? How high is it?"

"Slightly higher than average, but still not high enough to qualify to be a Jedi," Obi-Wan said with a small smile.

"Hmm... and what's your Midi-chlorian count?"

"Thirteen thousand, four hundred."

"What's considered average for a human?"

"Two thousand, five hundred."

"What's mine?"

"Just slightly below four thousand."

Satine clicks her tongue. "Does this mean you think you're better than me now, Master Jedi?"

"Well, at least in this regard," he replied with a grin.

Qui-Gon rolls his eyes and stands. He had mostly been obscured by the campfire and Obi-Wan had almost forgotten he was there.

"Where are you going, master?"

"Somewhere quiet," Qui-Gon grumbled. He walked into the trees and disappeared.

"He seems to be rather grumpy, as of late," Satine commented once he was out of earshot.

"I don't think living in the woods for extended periods of time agrees with him."

Satine raised an eyebrow. "Like it agrees with you?"

"Of course I don't mind. What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing... It's just this is coming from the man I've caught four times trying to wash his hands using his water bottles and no soap."

"They were all dusty," Obi-Wan said defensively, "and I wasn't trying to really wash them, I was just rinsing them off."

"Right," Satine said, stretching her legs out in front of her before curling them back up to her once again. "So I don't even hit four thousand? There goes my force-wielding career."

"Sorry to disappoint."

Silence settled over them.

"Obi-Wan, are all force-sensitives... well, good?"

"You should never assume any group is all one or the other."

"So that's a no. Where are these evil Jedi? I would think that with your kind of power, any force-sensitive would be near unstoppable."

"They're called Sith," Obi-Wan said as he glanced into the fire. "And the reason you haven't seen any is because of the Jedi. So you're welcome."

"Sith?"

"Yes. They haven't been around for a thousand years," Obi-Wan turned himself so that he could look at her more directly. He seemed thoroughly pleased to be telling her all this. "They were our most deadly enemy. Powerful. Consumed by passion. Their return would be, by far, the greatest threat to the well-being of the entire galaxy. They're the reason you'll never find a Jedi with a red lightsaber. A Sith's lightsaber is always red. However, Sith have their weaknesses. Their Rule of Two was probably the greatest cause of their downfall."

"And what is the Rule of Two?" she asked, amused by Obi-Wan's delight in his story.

"The Sith decided that only two Sith can exist - a master and an apprentice. They fight too much amongst themselves rather than banding together. Masters kill their apprentices, apprentices kill their masters... Meanwhile, there are thousands of Jedi. However, I have to admit that the average Sith is more powerful than the average Jedi. You could say they focus more on quality than quantity, but two Sith are no match for thousands of Jedi... Let's just say though, if a Sith walked out of those woods right now, you and I wouldn't stand a chance."

Satine looked out into the darkness.

"Don't worry though. Like I said, they've been gone for a thousand years. Your Mandalorian friends are the ones we have to worry about."

"What makes them Sith though? What makes Jedi Jedi and Sith Sith?"

"An interesting question," Obi-Wan said after a moment. "I suppose it comes down to belief and motive. The Sith have a different rule book than us. They do not follow the Jedi Code. They... utilize the dark side."

Satine suppressed a laugh. "The dark side?"

"Of the force."

Satine pressed her lips firmly together to try to smother a grin.

"It's not funny, Satine," Obi-Wan said seriously. "Every Jedi struggles with the dark side of the force sometime throughout their lives."

"Sorry, but it's all gibberish to me."

"Any time a force-wielder draws power by negative emotions, he is using the dark side of the force. Anger, passion, hatred, fear - these are all the emotions that the Sith rely on. A Jedi must never rely on these, never. Every Jedi is taught at the youngest age they can possibly comprehend that fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering... and the dark side."

Satine watched as the light of the fire danced over Obi-Wan's face for a long moment. Then she crawled over to him until their bodies were touching and she rested her head on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Satine, Qui-Gon can come back at any moment."

"Shush. You are letting fear rule you. I hear that fear leads to the dark side."

* * *

_Delusions of a dreamer._.. As Satine sat in her cell, these were the only words she could think of. She couldn't help but think Obi-Wan called that one two years ago...

When she saw the man responsible for it all, she had no idea who he was or what risk he posed. His face was red and black, his eyes yellow, and horns sticking out of his head. Whatever he was, whoever he was, he was not someone she could reason with, and she knew it.

But she knew Obi-Wan would come to help her if he had any idea what had happened. She had no idea what was going on outside. She did not think that HoloNet would feature what was happing on Mandalore. If it was mentioned at all, it was probably limited to a one-time-only, brief, five minute article, and nothing more. He would have no way of knowing.

She could not debate or reason with the four walls around her, but even if she could, she knew they wouldn't listen to her either.

Reality had finally caught up to her.

* * *

Anakin goes to Obi-Wan's door. He knocks twice and there is no response, so he simply enters the code and walks in.

Obi-Wan is curled up on a sofa watching the HoloNet. He doesn't show any sign of movement. A blanket is thrown over him and he looks as miserable and weak as someone suffering from the flu.

"You didn't tell me you were back," Anakin says.

There is no response.

Anakin walks to the sofa and sits down on the opposite side. "So, what happened to my first-rate ship?"

No response.

"You got it blown up, didn't you?"

"Leave me alone." Obi-Wan's voice is hoarse.

"When did you get back?"

"Last night."

"So then... what happened? Where did you leave Satine?"

No response. Anakin's suspicion is confirmed.

"Obi-Wan..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What happened to her?"

Obi-Wan is quiet for a long time, but Anakin knows he will eventually answer when he is ready.

"They killed her. It wasn't the Death Watch that took over Mandalore. It was Maul."

Anakin says nothing for a long time. "In front of you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I think you need to talk about it. Clearly it's eating you alive right now."

Obi-Wan grumbles something unintelligible, but Anakin manages to hear the word "psychologist" and then he is silent again for a very long time. Finally he sighs and says, "He stabbed her with the darksaber. She died in my arms and there's nothing more to say. It's over."

Anakin blinks and stares ahead of him. He says nothing because he knows there really was nothing he could say.

"She didn't deserve to die like that," Obi-Wan says. For the first time during the conversation, his voice is no longer a monotone. It is full of bitterness and anger. "There's something wrong with this galaxy. All she wanted was a peaceful Mandalorian society. That's all she did with her life - preach peace. And it's as if the galaxy cannot stand that. Someone talks about peace and nonviolence - we've got to kill her."

"Do you think she really loved you?"

"I know she did," Obi-Wan bit out.

"Then at least she was with you..."

Obi-Wan snorted and closed his eyes.

Silence passed for several minutes.

"I hated her at first," Obi-Wan finally said. "Well, maybe not hated, but certainly disliked... Then all that changed somehow over the course of a couple months. I found myself... I just kissed her one night before I even knew what I was doing... And we used to like to think we were very clever, and that Qui-Gon didn't know, but I know he knew... We were... damn stupid..."

Anakin says nothing, because he knows that if he speaks now, Obi-Wan might never say everything he needed to say.

"She _trusted_ me. She _trusted_ that I would be able to save her and I came _not even close_," Obi-Wan manages through clenched teeth. "You should have seen how happy she was to see me... It's all my fault. Everything. If I had never gone to Mandalore, she would still be alive. And I never even told her... I never told her, even when she was dying..."

"She already knew," Anakin finally supplies.

Obi-Wan falls silent and there really is nothing else to say.

Anakin stays with him and they watch HoloNet in silence with the phrase "Kenobi and Skywalker" coming up every so often on the screen. What transpired on Mandalore was never covered.

* * *

**I'm pretty depressed guys. I really wanted Satine to have an idea of what was going on during Maul and Obi-Wan's dialogue, so I created the first scene up there. I would like to add more to this, but as of yet, I am out of ideas.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, added this story to their favorites, or subscribed to this story. You guys are the best.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So hi guys. I love that I still get reviews for this story and people are still adding it onto their favorites or follows. You all are so awesome :D**

**This is some random stuff I came up with when I was at work tonight because I was bored. Some of what I said here is taken from other places and I'll credit those places below (don't worry, I haven't stolen anyone else's fanfic stuff, I just used quotes and something from a book I read totally unrelated to Star Wars). **

* * *

At first, Satine paid more attention to Qui-Gon than Obi-Wan, because Qui-Gon was certainly the leader, or the "master," of the two. At first, Satine saw no difference in the two at all. Over time, she came to realize that Obi-Wan was more uptight than Qui-Gon was and he required more time spent alone than his master. It was very easy to overlook Obi-Wan. He never smiled and he seemed comfortable being the lesser of the two. She wanted to know his age and guessed he was between sixteen and eighteen, though she wasn't sure.

Satine found herself alone with Obi-Wan one night. They were around a campfire. Qui-Gon was guarding the permitter. Satine had never had a conversation with Obi-Wan alone. He was staring ahead at the flames.

"Obi-Wan, what is the Force?"

He blinked and turned his gaze toward her. "What?"

"What is the Force that you and Qui-Gon are always talking about?"

Obi-Wan blinked again. An emotion crossed his face. Perplexity. "It's... well... it's the Force. It's what binds us and gives us life. Makes things grow and change."

"And what is the will of the Force? What does that refer to?"

"The will of the Force... dictates what will happen. Everything that happens is the will of the Force. What does not happen was not meant to happen. For instance, it was the will of the Force that you became the leader of Mandalore. The Force always wins."

"So the will of the Force is like fate or destiny."

"I guess you could put it that way."

"If the will of the Force always wins, why do anything at all? Why help me? If I'm meant to rule over Mandalore, it will happen on its own."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "The Force acts through Qui-Gon and I. It acts through you. You, Qui-Gon, and I were meant to come together."

"So it was destiny that you and I are sitting around this campfire now?"

"Yes."

"What about just chance?"

"There is no such thing as chance," Obi-Wan explained as he grabbed a leaf and started tearing it, "and what seems to us as merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny."

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Obi-Wan. I don't personally believe in destiny, or the will of the Force, but you obviously hold strong convictions."

Obi-Wan almost blushed and said, "So do you."

When the conversation stopped, Obi-Wan stopped tearing leaves for a few minutes. Then he grabbed more leaves from behind him and said, "When did you decide you wanted to lead Mandalore?"

"When I was eight."

"And... don't take this personally, but how old are you? Because you look really young," he added hurriedly, as if he was afraid asking would offend her.

She considered lying to make herself older, but she admitted, "I'm sixteen... And yourself?"

"Seventeen." He said this as if he was not happy about it.

"So what does 'padawan' mean?"

"It means I'm a learner. I'm not really a Jedi Knight yet."

This surprised her. "When do you become a Jedi Knight?"

"When the Council thinks I am ready."

"You seem ready to me."

For the first time, Satine saw Obi-Wan smile and it made her smile as well. He uncrossed his legs and recrossed them again differently. "The Council wouldn't agree. Let's just say they don't have much faith in my abilities. I almost never became a padawan. Qui-Gon took me at the last minute. Long story. I'm fortunate enough to be a padawan and I do not mind it."

Silence fell over them.

"What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?" Satine asked out of thin air.

"Jedi don't feel fear."

"Don't be ridiculous. Everyone feels fear. Even animals feel fear under the right conditions."

"Why are you asking me this?"

"We're around a campfire."

He looked at her with a blank expression.

"It's the will of the Force to tell scary stories around a campfire. Everybody knows this."

"It sounds funny when you say 'the will of the Force,'" he said bemusedly. "What's the scariest thing that ever happened to you then?"

She racked her brain. "Well, my older sister used to read this book to me at night when her friends were sleeping over. They gave me nightmares. Like there was this one story where a girl was lying in bed and she heard this voice calling to her. It told her it was coming up the stairs. It talked to her on its way up the stairs. Then she heard it say it was right outside her bedroom. And then it was in her room. And then it screamed 'I've got you!' and the girl screamed. Her parents came in, but found nothing. I used to think I was hearing a voice telling me it was coming for me at night."

Obi-Wan said nothing for a moment and then he burst out laughing. She had never heard him laugh before.

"So non-Jedi children are afraid of things that don't exist?" he finally managed to say.

"All children are afraid of things that don't exist. Haven't you ever heard of the monster under your bed?"

"A monster under my bed?"

"Yes, all children cry out for their parents at night saying there's a monster under their bed."

Obi-Wan became silent as he considered this. Then he said, "What do the parents say?"

"Well, they look under the bed of course," Satine explained. "And they say there's nothing there."

"That's not what I would do," Obi-Wan announced after another moment of silence.

"And what would you do?"

Grinning to himself, he said, "I would tell them that there was a monster under their bed, and if they ever misbehaved again, I would let it kill them."

It was Satine's turn to laugh. "That is the most demented, evilest thing I've ever heard my life!"

"What is?"

Both Satine and Obi-Wan stopped laughing and looked over in the direction of Qui-Gon's voice. He was walking out of the woods into the clearing.

"Nothing, Master," Obi-Wan said swiftly. "What is wrong?"

"We need to move," Qui-Gon said without preamble. "Now. On your feet. Put the fire out."

* * *

As Obi-Wan sat and watched the hologram of the Mandalorian attack on one of their Republic cruisers, he couldn't help but think about Satine. He had not thought of her since he learned that she was delegated leader of the Council of Neutral Systems. He heard about it on Holonet. He knew his own name was on Holonet all the time along with Anakin's, and he had to wonder if Satine had ever heard about him.

"The Mandalorian's may be raising up an army to fight with the Separatists," Obi-Wan faintly heard Mace Windu say.

"She's not," Obi-wan cut in. "Duchess Satine Kryze, I mean."

"How do you know?" Mace said as politely as possible.

"Assigned to protect the Duchess years ago, Obi-Wan was," Yoda interjected. "Still a padawan then, he was. Spent a year there, did you not, Obi-wan?"

"About that, I don't remember how many months now," he lied.

"Well, if he knows her personally, why don't we send Obi-Wan to investigate," Plo Koon suggested.

Obi-Wan felt like cold ice was trickling down his spine at the very thought of facing Satine again. "No, really, it's not necessary, this was a unrelated incident and -"

"Why would you not want to go?" Mace shot at him.

"I'm... I'm biased. Satine and I were friends."

"Put aside your feelings, you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda told him with an all-too-knowingly glare. "Important, this is. The best candidate, you are."

Obi-Wan swallowed and decided he really did not have any choice. Obi-Wan watched as Yoda contacted Satine. Thankfully, Satine could not see Obi-Wan from where he was sitting.

"I do not appreciate being treated as if I have to answer to the Republic, Master Yoda," her heard her say forcefully and without any hesitation. "I am not encroaching into your affairs, you are. If the Republic insists that Mandalore is a threat and wants to investigate this ridiculous claim, very well, but you will do so on the time that is convenient to me."

She sounded exactly as he had remembered.

"And what Jedi should I be expecting?" she asked Yoda after they had agreed to a time.

"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan bit his lower lip and sat in a very uncomfortable silence as Satine tried to ingest this news.

"Very well," she said finally, and swiftly cut off the transmission.

Obi-Wan let out a breath he did not realize he was holding.

The meeting adjourned and Obi-Wan walked to his quarters with his head feeling far too light. When he stepped inside, he saw that Anakin was sitting on his couch eating his cereal as if he owned the place.

"So, where are we going?" Anakin asked with his mouth full.

"Who said _we_ were going anywhere?"

"You've been assigned a mission, right?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Yes, _I_ was assigned a mission, not you and I."

"Oh, come on," Anakin insisted. "You're going to Mandalore, aren't you? Because of that security hologram you told me about?"

"Yes, I'm going to Mandalore. And _you_ are going to stay here."

"I want to go. Have you ever seen that Satine Kryze on Holonet? The leader of the Council of Neutral Systems? Because she's kind of good-looking. For a person who, like you, isn't in her twenties anymore, I mean. And it's kind of cool because she's a Mandalorian and the Jedi have fought with them across history. Like forbidden romance or something."

Obi-Wan brought a hand to his forehead. "Right," he mumbled. "I'm going alone. If I need something, I'll contact you. Now get out."

The spoon clanked in the bowl and Anakin positively whined, "Why?"

"Because I want to think by myself."

Anakin rolled his eyes, got up, put the bowl in the sink without washing it, and walked out the door.

* * *

That night after Satine learned she would be seeing Obi-Wan again, she cruised on Holonet for hours reading about the famous duo known as Kenobi-Skywalker. He was even known as _General_ Kenobi. That killed her. General Kenobi. He was supposed to be a _peacekeeper_. They also called him "The Negotiator" because "he would rather talk than fight." The whole thing was preposterous. He was a general of the highest rank. He caused fighting. He caused death. Yet they said he would rather talk than fight.

As she watched snippet after snippet about him, she tried to work up anger. She tried to hate him. Anxiety chewed at her insides at the thought of speaking with him. She told herself she hated him, not because he left her behind, but because he became a soldier.

Should she pretend she didn't know him or would that make things even more awkward? What if he decided to pretend he didn't know her? The night before he and Qui-Gon departed, he had held her close all night and they said nothing. They had never really said goodbye. How do you function in an official manner with someone you shared that with? How could she swallow down all her emotions and questions and stick strictly to business?

She turned off Holonet and stared at the blank screen. She was absolutely sure she would lose her mind before this was all over.

* * *

**Stuff I took from other places: **

**1. "There is no such thing as chance; and what seems to us as merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny." This was spoken by Friedrich Schiller. **

**2. The scary story Satine refers to is a story taken from the _Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark_ series. **

**3. Obi-Wan's creative way to keep children in line by telling them there is indeed a monster under the bed came from a cartoon that I saw on facebook that made me laugh. **

**I love you guys and I hoped you enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I wrote this trying to add some _action_. I think everyone can tell I like dialogue, but here is some _action_ and dialogue. **

* * *

Two days had passed since Obi-Wan had his first real conversation with Satine near the campfire. He woke up tired. Satine was all in an uproar about something. Again. She wanted to meet up with some accomplice - a man she referred to as Strike - whoever that was. The problem was Strike's position. He was in a city less than 150 kilometers from the capital of Sundari. It was ridiculous and foolish, and both Qui-Gon and himself had a bad feeling about it.

"It's too risky," Qui-Gon had said.

"It's too dangerous," Obi-Wan had said.

"When I want your opinions, I'll ask for them!" had been her reply.

Foolish. Ridiculous. Ungrateful.

Now, the three of them were discussing how to go about getting her there.

"I think the less people moving, the better," Satine was saying. "A large crowd of us will stick out."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan cut across him, "Do you want our opinions now, Duchess, or should we only smile and nod?"

Qui-Gon gave him a stare of death while Satine's face turned slightly pink.

"Yes, all right," she said. "Forgive me; I was too curt."

That was the first time she had ever admitted to being wrong about anything and it took him by surprise.

"One of us should go with you right by your side," Qui-Gon went on. "While the other keeps a watch on your back, but far enough so that it does not seem we are all together. I will have a talk with my padawan. Give us five minutes."

Satine agreed and walked away rather quickly.

Qui-Gon fixed him with a glare. "You will go with her. I'll be further behind." He paused and waited for Obi-Wan to argue, but he did not. So Qui-Gon continued, "I know you hate her, but you need to act more mature. She's used to being in charge."

Obi-Wan felt stung by the accusation. "I don't hate her," he argued. "She just is arrogant."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth, but then closed it, and Obi-Wan knew what he had contemplated saying. Obi-Wan did his best not to storm away like a child. Instead, he walked calmly toward Satine with a scowl on his face.

"All right, let's go," he grumbled at her. He did not bother to stop walking. When he noticed she was not following him, he stopped and turned around.

She looked like she was having a hard time not smiling. She pointed east and said, "Um, our ship is _that_ way."

Obi-Wan turned red. "Right," he snapped.

* * *

They set the ship down twenty kilometers away from Sundari.

"Keep your eyes open," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan. "I'll wait back here for a while. Go."

Obi-Wan wisely let Satine choose the direction in which to walk this time. There were lights of homes around them, but the volume of those lights were nothing compared to the lights they were going toward.

"Why does this Strike person live on a level this low," Obi-Wan asked her. "Does he know the lower you reside, the more dangerous the neighborhood?"

"He won't be at this level."

"What? How are we going to get up -?"

"You'll see."

The lights kept multiplying until they were surrounded by buildings. Dawn was approaching. Satine stopped abruptly in front of an apartment building. Obi-Wan kept looking over his shoulder. He did not like this in the slightest. He kept expecting someone to round a corner.

"It's somewhere here," she said. She walked into the darkness and turned a corner into an alley.

"Satine, I don't like this," he said as he turned the corner. "Any -" He stopped short. There was a tiny airspeeder right in front of them.

"How did you know that would be here?" he asked incredulously. "Will it work with your fingerprint?"

"Yes," she answered. "But there's only one... I asked her to leave two, or three if she could manage..."

"I don't like this," he said again. "What about Qui-Gon? It's too small to fit all three of us."

She shook her head. "We'll have to leave him."

"No, Satine, this is ridiculous -"

She climbed in, put her thumb at the ignition, and the engine roared to life. She then grinned at him and he could not believe she could even smile at a point like this. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it." She was actually being _humorous_. "I'm going to meet Strike with or without you."

He knew it was pointless to argue. "Do I have to be the passenger?"

That smile was still there. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm just... just more of the driver than the passenger. And this is no time to be funny."

She rolled her eyes. "All right, but if you try to drive me away from something you think is dangerous, I'll jump at the closest landing opportunity."

Obi-Wan knew she was too insane to be bluffing about that. "Fine."

* * *

Strike was higher than where they started, but still at a level that made Obi-Wan nervous. Even though it was still early in the morning, there were people everywhere. Walking. Conversing. Any one of them could have been a bounty hunter. Both he and Satine had cloaks on, but he wished they still had better disguises.

Satine stopped at a large courtyard. Some children were playing some ten or eleven square yards from them. "He's here," she murmured.

People were all over the place, but no one else was wearing cloaks. Everyone's face was visible except Satine's and Obi-Wan's. It seemed too easy - if Strike was here, shouldn't he be just as disguised as them? Obi-Wan saw some adults looking toward them nervously and he could not blame them - he and Satine were sticking out like sore thumbs.

"So... what does he look like?" Obi-Wan prompted.

She didn't answer him, which gave him a very bad feeling indeed. He wondered if she even knew. She stepped forward and began to stroll through the courtyard as if she was trying to look inconspicuous, but failed. He trailed beside her, feeling like he was going to throw up.

"Why do we have to meet this Strike person anyway?" Obi-Wan started in on her.

"Information," was her only response.

There was an explosion at the heart of the courtyard, right where the children had been playing. Both she and Obi-Wan hit the ground as if by instinct. Both adults and children were screaming. A second explosion went off some twenty feet from the first one. Satine scrambled to her feet. Black smoke was all around them. Obi-Wan expected her to run away from the center, and she did start running. But she was running the wrong way. She was running toward it.

_Why in the Force would she do that?_ his mind reeled. He had no choice but to get up and run after her. He realized yelling her name might only put her in more danger. One final explosion went off. Everyone was running away, except Satine and Obi-Wan.

Satine halted where the smoke was too thick to see anything. She coughed and used the sleeve of her cloak to filter out the air. Not being able to see made Obi-Wan feel claustrophobic. When the smoke began to clear, he found himself wishing it had remained.

Bodies were everywhere - full bodies and parts of bodies. Blood and guts. Both children and adults. Injured people were crawling around on the floor like half-squashed insects. Satine let in a gasp of air in between coughing. She kneeled down beside one child with blood coming out of his mouth. Obi-Wan watched in horror as she comforted him until he died. No other adults that had run away came forward. He knew in a civilized society, in a society that was not currently in a state of war, emergency crews would be arriving. But this was war and no one came.

* * *

Satine was shaking like a leaf. Qui-Gon had stopped lecturing Obi-Wan and the ship was moving back away from Sundari. She was sitting crisscrossed on the floor in front of the bed-bunks as if she had forgotten there were seats all over the ship.

Obi-Wan sat down a few feet away from her. He waited her to speak, but she didn't. Her blonde hair was down. It was wavy and messy and crazy. He had never seen it down before.

"You know, I was wrong about you," he finally said.

She didn't look at him. "How so?"

"I thought that you were... well, I thought that you were... I thought you were just another soulless politician that loved being treated like royalty."

"Arrogant, pampered, corrupted, and spoiled?" she said. "That about it?"

"Well... yes. But I was wrong."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," she said in a voice that sounded almost like her own, "I thought you were an uptight, emotionless Jedi."

"Who says I'm not?" he said in a tone far too playful for what they had just experienced. He dropped the tone and said, "Actually, I think we're a lot alike. In both positives and negatives."

"Infinitely brilliant, yet anal-retentive? Determined, yet blind?"

"How am I blind?" he asked.

She sighed and said, "The Jedi Code. Am I blind too?"

"Yes," he answered too quickly. "Pacifists are that way sometimes."

They met each other's eyes and looked away quickly.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered crisply in her old voice. "We have important things to think about now. There's obviously a traitor in my circle. The enemy knew I would be in that square at that exact time." She stood. "I've things to do. You go meditate and think about how we're going to fix this."

He did not get up. "I don't think I should leave you h-"

"When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."

* * *

Obi-Wan did not like the way the human brain worked. Every time he found himself around Satine, he realized that the more you tried not to think about something, the more you can't stop thinking it.

When Qui-Gon was around, Obi-Wan and Satine spoke little to each other. But when he was gone, they had taken toward arguing with each other about anything and everything, especially when they were out in the middle of nowhere, away from civilization.

The three of them were in an abandoned shack made with real wood. It was stuffy, dusty, and splintered. There was only one mediocre-sized room. Obi-Wan was sitting in the corner meditating as best he could. He had no privacy here. No one did. Satine had been launching into speeches over the comlink telling everyone what they had to do. The moment Qui-Gon closed the door behind him, Obi-Wan could feel Satine glaring in his direction, but Obi-Wan did not open his eyes.

"Stop it!" she finally snapped at Obi-Wan. "You're driving me absolutely insane! Do something other than sitting there like a statue!"

He opened his eyes and looked at her with equal venom. "Oh, I'm sorry, your grace, am I offending you some how?"

"I can't think with you doing that, like you're this subhuman, perfect being that doesn't get bored out of his mind by doing that for four hours every damn day."

He squared his jaw and near shouted, "Well, I'm sorry, Duchess, supreme being of light, but I'm not here to serve you. Qui-Gon and I are here to help Mandalore adopt a peaceful society model for the Jedi Order's own benefit, not to entertain your every whim."

"You just like to act so damn perfect, don't you?"

"At least I've earned my so-called 'perfection,' unlike another one of us who was just born into high places."

She laughed a mirthless laugh. "Did you even pick up a holobook before you arrived here?" she exclaimed. "Do you know _anything_ about Mandalore _at all_?"

"I know everything I need to know about this Force-forsaken rock -"

"You _idiot_! I was not born into the place where I am now! I was _elected_ as ruler by the New Mandalorians! I've been preparing speeches since I was thirteen years old to get where I am now! Now you on the other hand, you just got chose by the Jedi - your life was picked for you. I picked my own! So with everything you are now, you didn't have to work anywhere near as hard as I -"

"Are you _kidding_ me? Do you have any idea how hard it is to become a Jedi?" Obi-Wan shouted. "At least I don't get waited on hand and foot -"

Satine laughed that mirthless laugh again. "I sleep in the kriffing dirt and I haven't washed myself in a week, you loathsome fool!"

They glared at each other. Both tried very hard to be truly angry with the other, but somehow they both failed. The intensity of her glare made Obi-Wan look away and feel flushed. He rose to his feet and began to walk away toward the door on the squeaky hinges.

Satine stood up too and stepped in front of him. She put a hand out and pressed it against his chest to keep him from exiting. "I'm sorry - you're not a - you're good - I mean, I don't want you to leave."

He just looked at her. She did not remove her palm from him. The tension in the air was so thick he was sure someone could have cut it with a knife. His mind wandered places he did not want it to go. He closed his eyes, pushed past her, and walked out the door into the fresh air.

* * *

**So I don't know how airspeeders are turned on, but I'm guessing it isn't with a conventional key, right?**

**Oh and anyone who knows where I got the name Strike from will earn brownie points.**

**Lemme know how I'm doing guys. Thanks for reading. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone. I'm just dropping in to let you all know that this story will end here, but I will be re-writing the story sequentially. The title of the new version is "It's All (Sequentially) in the Past." This new version will be better, longer, and more detailed. This one just jumps around too much and there are things about it I want to revise three years since I began this one. **

**Hope to see you all there! :) **

**New story link: s/9675392/1/It-s-All-Sequentially-in-the-Past **


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